His Love Is His Shadow
by WhiteMagePrincess
Summary: The evil is gone. Link sealed the door to the Temple of Time but never went back in time. He is "happily" married to Zelda. Though one fateful night changes everything. Told by Shadow Link's point of view. Shadow Link x Link. yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

The rain and wind hit against his young face like tiny knives as the dark figure limped towards Hyrule Castle. From a distance you would think that the Hero of Time had returned home from his hunting trip. But this figure could easily be mistaken for him. Even the guards that were on duty, though being slightly lazy from the weather that kept them indoors, found the sight nothing to worry about and went about their business.

But no one questioned where his horse, Epona, was. The Hero of Time never went anywhere without Epona. No one even questioned why he was limping, holding his side to keep the blood from spilling onto the ground, though clearly it didn't help at all. His attempts from not bleeding on the ground were futile. There was a small trail behind him that could lead any Dodango to him and just gobble him right up.

This wasn't the beloved Hero of Time, however. It was someone who had the exact same face, but different features about his body. While the hero was strong and muscular, this one was lanky and thin. Black hair sat atop his head and crimson eyes filled with pain.

This was Shadow, or also known as Shadow Link. A dark being created from the evil king's anger in order to help do his bidding in getting rid of the Hero of Time. Obviously they had both failed. Link had defeated them both, but Ganondorf was gone while Shadow remained. Unknown to him of course.

"Help," he whispered to no one in particular. His voice was drowned out by the loud clash of thunder.

He just couldn't move anymore.

He came to a stop at the stairs that led to the large double doors of the castle. The Princess of Destiny would show mercy wouldn't she?

Shadow's body weakened much more than he hoped and he slumped to the ground, his body hitting the steps hard, leaving a dark red stain which was washed away by the rain that was pouring down.

The sound of footsteps approaching didn't even make him stir. It was probably his imagination he was sure. The feel of strong, warm, yet soft fingers on his skin neck only seemed to lull him into sleep. It didn't even occur to Shadow that someone had found him.

Was he being caressed by one of the goddesses? Had they finally taken pity on him? He had done wrong in his life but it was only for his own safety from Ganondorf's wicked hand. He wasn't much of a father figure to look up to if all he did was threaten to kill if things didn't go exactly as he had planned.

_I...can finally rest in peace, _he thought to himself, pressing lightly against the warm hand that was touching him. He would be able to go peacefully. He couldn't feel the pain any longer form how numb he was. He wanted to stay alive. To have the life that he never had. Seemed like fate didn't want him to have that life he wanted.

The warm hands went to his shoulders then and started to shake him to try to wake him from his numb state. The movement made Shadow's body move just enough for him to feel the sharp jabs from his wounds even with the hands on him being so careful not to jostle him too much.

"Hey, are you alive? Wake up!"

The familiar voice caused Shadow to open his eyes and stare up at the Hero of Time. A strong but kind face so much like his own yet not stared down at him. Concern was written in his eyes but there was also caution. Of course why wouldn't he have any with the incident that had occurred back in the Water Temple.

With a death grip, Shadow grasped hold of the front of Link's tunic as if it was his lifeline bringing him out of a raging sea.

"Help me," Shadow croaked up to the blonde male.

Link only stared down more at him in shock before he realized what was going on. Instead of leaving him on the stairs to die or ending his life with the blade strapped to his back, hidden underneath his cloak, he picked his shadow up into his arms, cradling the weak lanky body to his chest.

Instead of going through the large double doors like Shadow believed they would be going, Link took a turn and went towards the servant entrance to the castle.

That was understandable. Surely the princess would pass out from having an old enemy in their midst. The warmth of the castle wasn't enough to make him warm. The chest underneath his own hand was warm and inviting but not his own.

Hadn't Link lived in Kokiri Forest? Or was he just a guest in the castle and that was why he was taking him inside and into a gorgeous bed chamber. From what he could see he knew that Link lived there.

The softness of a mattress under his back pulled Shadow from his thoughts. The warm arms left his body and Link's face came back into view of his own as he stared down at him. His own hand came to rest on the one that was still on Link's tunic.

"You'll need to let go so I can treat your wounds," Link said softly to his shadow.

Realizing that he still was clutching the green fabric, Shadow instantly let go, mumbling an apology to him. Link only gave a small nod and moved back from the bed, removing his brown cloak and draping it over chair near the fire in order to dry it.

The hero's footsteps retreated from the room then, giving Shadow the time to try and think of what was going on at the moment. Link had taken him into his home and left him in his room, on a lovely bed no doubt. This was not a place to kill someone obviously.

He wanted to save him. But why?

"Still with me?" he heard Link ask, the hero having returned into the room when he was lost in his thoughts again. Shadow's crimson eyes flicked to him and he gave a soft nod. In Link's hands held a small basket filled with first aid supplies.

"Good. Let's get you cleaned up."

Link set the basket down on the bed and took a seat next to it, gingerly helping Shadow into a seated position. A gasp came from his lips, a sharp jab of pain coming from his body. His clothing was pulled from his body, the fabric tattered and blood stained. There was no way he would be able to wear that again. That was pretty clear.

Large wounds covered his torso, bleeding fresh blood with each movement of his body. On his back were slightly smaller ones but not as fresh as the ones on his chest. The skin was dark and sickly looking on his back, signaling an infection had just set in.

Link inspected him, his ice blue eyes losing a bit of the caution in them. "How did you get like this?" he asked him. "I thought you were dead. The last time I saw you...you were in the Water Temple."

Shadow let out a sigh, wincing when Link started to dab something red on a cotton ball onto his chest. "After you left...Ganondorf...came to me and took me out of there. "He punished me for failing my mission..."

Shadow's voice was slowly coming back, a slightly higher version of the Hero's.

"Punished..." Link mumbled to himself, focusing his attention more now on the wounds on his back, adding more of the red liquid to his back to help heal and disinfect his injuries. "...for not killing me?"

A simple nod was the answer that he was able to get out of the Shadow.

"Sounds like him. Evil bastard..." Link muttered sympathetically. "You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you while I'm around. I promise. I am the hero after all and a hero always keeps his promises."

"Yes, I have the great Hero of Time to protect me," he said with a small roll of his eyes but smirked softly as he closed them. "Even after what I did to him."

Link tied off the last bandage and moved from behind Shadow. He was guided onto his back slowly, making him hold in a noise so he didn't seem so...weak.

"Heroes rescue all kinds of damsels in distress, regardless of what they've done," the blonde said to reassure him. It did little to reassure him but it made him laugh once lightly before starting to cough, the taste of his blood on his tongue.

Blankets were placed over his cold body in order to give him some sort of cover in his nude state. A soft thank you was mumbled to the hero from his lips, laced with sleep. He was about to go completely under when he felt a hand under his neck, tilting his head up and the ring of a bottle against his lips.

"You need to drink this. Then you can get some sleep," the blonde's soft voice said to him. Shadow obliged a bit reluctantly and opened his mouth, tasting the bitterness of the red potion that had also been used against his wounds.

Once the last drop hit his tongue, Link guided Shadow's head back to the pillow, a small smile on his face. Shadow looked up at him weakly, finding the sight of him a bit breathtaking. He would have never thought of the day that Link would be staring down at him like this.

"Get some rest. You have a long night ahead of you," Link said to him, tucking the blankets around him.

"...thanks," Shadow said to him, soon letting his eyes droop closed and let sleep overtake him quickly.

*~Link's P.O.V.~*

A light knock on the door broke the blonde from his thoughts as he watched his shadow fall asleep. Quickly he backed away from the bed and drew the curtains to hide him so who ever it was at the door wouldn't see him.

He opened the door with tired eyes, revealing his wide standing there in her satin nightgown. She looked tired and a bit irritated. Ever since she had kicked him out of the bedroom she hadn't been very patient with him. She blamed him for them not being able to conceive a child. Impa had told him that it was her who couldn't. But he still took the brunt of it.

"Forget to say goodnight, love?" she asked him, putting on her winning smile that she used in order to get what she wanted. It was sad to think that she had once been a sweet girl. That is until the option of not being able to have children turned her bitter.

"I was just about to come see you, darling," Link lied through his teeth, stepping to the side to let her in. He knew it was risky to let her in but if he didn't he would end up regretting not doing so. "I was in a hurry to get get most of my wet clothes off from the rain."

The blonde guided his wife to one of the seats by the fire, praying she didn't noticed the black tattered clothing nearby drying by the fire. She didn't seem to notice as she ran her hands over the velvet chair, gesturing to her husband to take a seat next to her on the other chair.

"How was your hunt?" she asked him, spreading her delicate fingers over the fire and making it rise a bit more to add warmth to the chilly room.

"Not well. I wasn't able to catch a thing in the rain," he said with a sigh. He hated not being able to bring anything home. "I think Epona is mad at me for dragging her out in this weather. How was your day?"

A soft giggle passed through his wife's lips. "I'm sure a good brushing will have you forgiven." Her face turned a bit solemn then, staring into her lap. "Well, Ruto caused another uproar about you being my husband again."

Link sighed, leaning back into his chair. Ever since he had gotten the Spirtual Stone of Water or the Zora's Sapphire, Ruto had been on him to try and get him to marry him like he had supposedly promised. She had caused an uproar at their wedding, objecting to the two of them being wed. But in the end she was escorted out and the two had a lovely wedding.

"I'm sorry if that had put any unnecessary stress on you," Link mumbled to her. She simply smiled and stood up from the seat then. She leaned down, giving the blonde a soft kiss on his cheek before moving towards the door.

"I'll be expecting you at breakfast tomorrow. We have something we need to discuss," she said. Link gave a simple nod and his princess left. As soon as the door was closed, Link heard a soft groan come from his bed.

Instantly he was on his feet and pulling back the curtain. Shadow lay on the bed, whimpering and shaking. He had broken out into a sweat and felt clammy. But that was the effects of the potion Link was sure.

"No..." he heard his shadow whimper. A small frown came to his lips and he gingerly laid a hand on his cold forehead.

"I'm here. No ones going to hurt you. Not ever again."


	2. Chapter 2

The early morning sun shined through the window above the headboard of the large four posted bed. The burning light caused Shadow to pull his crimson eyes open slowly, looking around to try to remember his surroundings. More importantly how he had gotten there in the first place.

His eyes landed on the crowned hero huddled in one of the chairs from the fire place, a small blanket over his body in order to help keep himself warm when the fire had died down. His cap was off and on the floor, his blond locks half in a ponytail, his face pressed into the blanket.

A simple look that looked...cute.

Gingerly as he could, Shadow pulled himself up, grunting a bit at the feel of his wounds being stretched a bit after so long. He shivered a bit as the cold air hit his slightly wet back. He still felt a bit ill and that fact brought himself to wrap his naked body up in the blanket again.

He was glad he had been able to surviv the night. The fever had broken over night and he was slowly starting to get some color back into his cheeks. It held promise for the rest of the nights to come. He would be able to heal thoroughly. Or at least he hoped.

But then where would he go?

Pushing those thoughts away for the moment he reached over to the hero's foot, it being the closest thing to him since he didn't want to overstretch himself and possibly open up one of his wounds, and lightly shook him. "Hey," he said softly, keeping his voice soft so he didn't end up getting anyone's unwanted attention on the other side of the door or the room next door, whomever that was. He didn't need them to come in and find him naked in Link's bed.

"Hey. What?" Link asked startled. The blonde almost stumbled out of the chair from being jostled up like this. Instantly he regained his composure as he looked to his ill patient. Shadow could only smirk lightly and quickly hide it behind his hand.

"Sorry..." Link mumbled out his cheeks burning with embarrassment. He stretched his muscular arms over his head and let out a soft yawn. "I guess I must have fallen asleep."

The blonde pulled himself up from the chair and took a seat at the edge of the bed, looking into his ruby eyes to see if he still had a fever. "How are you feeling?" he asked him.

"A little better," Shadow answered, closing his eyes as Link pressed his palm to his forehead to make sure that he still didn't have a fever. He hoped that he would get the ok to at least try to get out of bed. He didn't want to be cooped up there all day.

His stomach let out a roar of a growl causing him to cover his stomach. He wanted something filling to eat but he wasn't sure what exactly he was able to eat that wouldn't upset his stomach. He couldn't go to the kitchen posing as Link and find something for himself. There were two problems keeping him from doing that. He was still too weak to even walk on his own and, even though he was his exact clone, there were obvious differences between the two of them.

"Hungry it seems," Link said with a soft chuckle, removing his hand from his forehead. "How does this sound? I'll change your bandages, give you another potion, and then get us some breakfast."

Shadow raised an eyebrow to him, the blanket on his bare shoulder sliding off to reveal his pale skin underneath. "Why can't I eat first and them take the potion? Having something in my stomach might help settle it better...?"

"No. From personal experience eating first and then drinking the potion will actually be the thing that might make you puke," Link explained to him. He got up from the bed and grabbed the medical items he had used the night before on him.

"Alright then, that sounds fine to me then," Shadow said with a small wrinkle in his nose. Shadow felt a bit odd to be so talkative lately. No one had ever tried to hold a conversation like a normal person before.

Link moved behind Shadow starting to untie the pieces of cloth serving as bandages for him. His soft warm fingers laid on his back as he inspected the wounds on his back which only caused Shadow to shiver lightly. "So...what should I call you? Do you have a name?" Link asked him. Shadow opened his mouth to answer and hissed softly when he felt him starting to dab at them again with a cotton ball soaked in red potion.

"My full name is Shadow Link," he said with a soft grunt. Ganondorf was never really original with names. Shadow Link...Phantom Ganon. He just took a noun and put it in front of a name in order to make it different. Honestly it really wasn't.

"But...Shadow is fine. I think it serves me well," he said to him. Honestly he didn't want his own name mixed in with Link's. "Shadow" didn't associate him more than it should. Besides, his own looks and sword abilities were a bit different anyway.

"Shadow it is then," Link said to him, tying on the bandages once again to his back and maneuvering himself in front of his shadow.

"Alright Shadow. Drink up," Link said, passing him the bottle of red potion for him to drink. "I'm sorry if it tastes like donkey piss. I can get you food after you drink this. I can't exactly take you to the dining area. Her Majesty is waiting for me in there. Seeming as you are...or were...linked to his majesty, the asshole of darkness...it wouldn't be best to take you into her presence right now. I'll see what I can do about breaking her into it slowly."

Shadow couldn't help but smirk lightly at the nickname Link had bestowed on his creator. It did fit him very well.

He took a large gulp of the potion and made a face, trying to keep himself from spitting it out and rinsing his mouth out with water and soap. But he forced himself to swallow it. Any chance to get himself better at the moment instead of being bed ridden all day.

"I'll be back I in a little bit," Link said, standing up and leaving the room just as Shadow set the now empty bottle onto the table near the bed. Shadow stared at the door for a moment and sighed, laying himself back down on the bed.

**~Link's P.O.V.~**

The blonde sighed heavily as he closed his bedchamber door, resting his head against the wood lightly. How was he going to explain Shadow to his wife? She would definitely not let him stay. From hearing the bits and pieces from his shadow he knew that he didn't have anywhere else to go. He couldn't help but feel responsible for making him live this way.

Maybe he could bring him to the forest if Zelda didn't let Shadow stay. That is if she didn't try to kill him at first. He could easily take his old home. Then again he didn't think the children would let him stay there. Not only was he not Kokiri, but he also had a dark past. Which Link was surprised at that he was able to foresee such a thing.

That was just how Link was. He tried to see the good in all people. Even Ganondorf. Though he had learned in a short amount of time that he didn't have any good in him at all.

Link could see the good in Shadow however. It had been buried down deep after years of dark impressions. Now that he wasn't under Ganondorf's thumb he could make his own choices. Link wanted to guide him down the right path of good.

Pushing himself from the door he headed towards the dining room to have breakfast with his wife. He would sneak after breakfast into the kitchen to get some food for Shadow. The other male needed some sort of nourishment in order to at least get on his feet again.

At the long dining table sat his wife. She sat at the side of the table in an elegant blue silk dress. Blue ribbons were tied into a braid in her golden locks of hair. She looked two years younger than she originally was.

A napkin sat in her lap as she ate, her back erect. Such a way to eat as a princess should. She always tried to get him to do it as well. He hated that and he would never do it.

The table was set with flowers and two plates full of steaming hot food. A biscuit, a few sausage links, and eggs sat on the plate. A large glass of milk sat beside the plate for him. Most likely from Talon with the delivery he had made a few days earlier from Lon Lon Ranch.

Lon Lon Ranch always had the best tasting milk in all of Hyrule.

"Good morning," Link said to his wife as he took a seat, placing the napkin in his lap. The Princess smiled to him and wiped her delicate lips with her napkin. "How did you sleep?"

"Not well...," she answered him, baby blue eyes casting down to her own plate. "I had another dream last night. A dark being...took you away..."

Link's eyes widened at her words already forgetting that he needed to feed his stomach. He knew that he had to rush to get back to his sick patient but Zelda was still his wife after all.

Also her dreams he knew that some of the time it meant they were more likely to come true.

"Zelda, I can assure you that no dark being will take me away from you," he said to her with a gentle smile placed on his lips. She stared at him for a moment, a frown coming to her face.

"You also reassured me when you told me that we could conceive a child."

There it was. Always that subject. Link could swear that any opportunity to bring up that subject again she took a hold of with her delicate fingers and just never let go.

"Zelda, I am not discussing this with you again. We aren't able to conceive and there is nothing we can do about it," he said to her, rising from his seat and picking up his plate He would need to share his meal with Shadow.

Zelda glared daggers at him and rose from her own seat. Link could feel the power rolling off of her in waves. If he didn't watch it he would honestly get a lash of her magic at his back to deal with.

"Where are you going now? I'm not done talking to you," she snapped his way. Link could easily just ignore her like always. Though he had it with her excuses to bring up that they could not have a child.

"I'm going to eat in my sleeping quarters," Link answered her simply, taking hold of his milk in his other hand and turning away from his wife. To think that not long ago they were a happily married couple running freely to their room after the wedding's reception.

"Now you're going go hide in your room like an impotent fool? If you being here wasn't so...so...important we would..."

"You would what? Make me abdicate? Unless you haven't noticed _princess, _I'm halfway there!"

Zelda's baby blue eyes widened from the tone of his voice. Link _never_ rose his voice to his wife. Link realized what he had done and instantly regretted doing so. He never imagined ever yelling at her.

He hadn't been able to help it this time.

"...Excuse me..." he said to her softly, turning around and leaving the dining hall, the food in his hands as he made his way back up the stairs and to his shadow awaiting him in his room.

**~Shadow's P.O.V.~**

Link's return surprised Shadow. The weak man had tried his best to stand up and walk around the room and was near the armoire across the room from the bed, leaning against it and taking deep breaths so he could be able to breathe properly.

At first the blonde didn't see him. He set the plate of food on the table and let out a deep sigh. One look towards the empty bed brought the attention towards Shadow.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked softly, immediately moving to his side to try to guide him back to the bed. Shadow tried his best to pull back, shaking his head towards the blonde. "You shouldn't be moving around. You should be in bed."

"No. I don't want to be in bed anymore," he protested, trying to pull his arm away from Link's strong grip. Link was much stronger however, even if Shadow was at full strength, and pulled Shadow towards the bed.

Shadow tried pulling again, this time getting one of his hands free. Link made a grab for it again but couldn't as they both toppled over...

...right onto the bed.

"Sorry," Link said, lifting his head up and looked down at his Shadow who stared up at him, his cheeks dark red from the contact that their bodies had made. Link's cheeks darkened a bit, feeling the burning warmth from the others naked body and his own clothed one.

Link laid on top if Shadow one of his hands still holding onto one of Shadow's above his head. His body lay in between delicate legs.

Shadow opened his mouth to say something to the blonde. But his words were halted as Link leaned down, his eyes partially closed and the breath hitting Shadow's lips.


	3. Chapter 3

Warm breath against his lips...The thin muscular body hanging over his own...He was so close to kissing Link. To let him take the innocence from his own lips. It wasn't like he had been able to get a first kiss being locked up in a dungeon.

Shadow's heart raced rapidly in his chest, his crimson eyes widening as the hero grew closer and closer to his own face, causing him to tremble slightly from anticipation.

"Link..." he mumbled as he felt the soft brush of the others lips against his own. Warm...soft...wet...

"LINK! Open this door right this instant!" a shrill female voice shrieked on the other side of the door. The voice was followed by sudden banging of a delicate fist.

Link held in a gasp and leapt off of Shadow, cheeks bright red and fear shining in those gorgeous blue eyes of his. Was it because someone was on the other side of the door? Or was it for the fact that he had just kissed a boy whom happened to be his former enemy? He wasn't about to get his answer right away.

"Hide. Quickly." Link whispered quickly to him, throwing the blanket that had fallen onto the floor over Shadow. Shadow scrambled off of the bed half blind with the blanket and hid in the corner near a basket with clean clothing that had been brought in by the maids days before Shadow's arrival. He threw himself on it covering his body and tried his best to resemble a pile of clothing and not a body trying to hide under a large blanket. He left a small opening for himself to breathe of course, knowing it would open more chances to be found if he was starting to panic from the lack of air he would be getting from the fabric.

The door was opened then and a pair of high heels clacked against the stone floor. Shadow shivered a bit at the wave of energy that was radiating off of her and pulsating in the room. He forced himself to stay calm. It was no wonder some of Ganondorf's minions trembled when they sensed her power. She was very strong.

A slapping sound caused him to come out of his own thoughts, glad that he hadn't jumped much when he heard it. Whom had hit who? Had Link hit Zelda? Or had she hit him? It was most likely Zelda who had swung. She was the one who sounded mad.

"How dare you leave the table while I'm still speaking with you," she hissed. That was simple to figure out then. Zelda had been the one to hit Link. There was a strange urge to reveal himself and scold her for hitting such a great man.

Wait...great man?

Link was silent. All Shadow could hear was the heavy breathing of the angry woman before Link. But soon it slowed and then a soft sob came and the sound of those clacking heels retreated from the room, followed by the sound of a slamming door.

"You can come out now..." Link said after a few moments. He didn't sound angry. He sounded...indifferent of what had just happened.

Shadow immediately tugged the blanket off of his head, staring up at Link. His eyes were showing the pain he was feeling but his face stayed neutral. A large red hand print marked his beautiful face where Zelda had slapped him.

"Are you ok...?" he asked him, a bit shaken up himself from the situation that had just reared its ugly head at them. Link nodded his head to him but he knew it was not true at all. Link was upset but he was trying to hide it from him. It was like he was trying his best to make sure that he didn't show any signs of weakness.

Shadow opened his mouth to protest his answer, obviously knowing that he was lying to him but he quickly closed it at Link's next actions. The blonde was pulling out a small bag, setting a few important items into the bag, one of which being a familiar blue instrument that Shadow had seen Link playing in the Water Temple.

"We're leaving the castle for a few days. It'll give you a chance to get some fresh air," the blonde hero said to him. Shadow gaped at him. Every fiber of him wanted to jump on the chance to get out of this castle. It was very boring just sitting in one room in a bed all day. But a part of him wanted to stay so Link had a roof over his head.

Little did he know that Link would always have a roof over his head no matter where they went, given his status in the world.

"Wear this. It'll keep you out of sight till we get outside."

Link placed a stone mask into his hands along with one of his darker tunics, a navy blue which almost looked black when not in the light of the sun peeking in through the window. A large black strap lay in the back of the mask for him to place it on himself. The only problem that he saw with this mask: there were no holes in it for him to see.

"Link, how am I supposed to see with this thing on?" Shadow asked with a frown.

A vague smile crossed the hero's lips as he held his hand out for him. "I'll walk you out of here. All you have to worry about is if we cross Zelda's path. She's able to see through the mask's magic...you know...with her being a sage and all..."

"Oh...right..." Shadow said softly, feeling rather stupid for having forgotten that the Princess of Destiny was indeed the seventh sage.

"Come now, put it on," Link urged him, tying off the bag once he was sure he had everything inside of it. Shadow still felt a bit uneasy about the mask. But he pulled the stone mask over his face, instantly having his vision blackened out, and a sigh pass through his lips.

Link's warm hand wrapped around his own a second later, almost having grabbed something else as he tried to take his hand.

"Sorry," Link whispered, starting to pull him along with him out of the room. Shadow just remained silent, his cheeks bright red underneath the mask. Why was just a simple hand holding make him red in the face this much?

"There. Now we won't have to worry," Link said in a soft voice. The mask was slowly removed from his face, his body coming back into full view.

Shadow blinked his eyes a bit when the sudden light came to him. The room was small compared to Link's bedchamber, a single bed sitting in the corner of the room. The walls were a soft cream color, paintings of horses sitting on them.

This was Malon's room. Malon's room in Lon Lon Ranch. But what in the world were they doing there?

"There's a storm coming in again so this is the first place I picked that was safe enough." Link said, unintentionally answering his Shadow's thoughts. To think that half the day was gone by now from not going by horseback. Hadn't he realized that would have been an easier way to get there?

Obviously the hero really hadn't.

"Why are you acting this way to me...?" Shadow asked softly, obviously having many mixed feelings of what was going on. "I tried to _kill_ you."

He had been ordered to hate him. To kill him. But his heart that he always thought to be black deep within his chest was telling him to love him. To adore him.

"I well..."

"Link? Did my father give you blankets?" a soft female voice said from the other side of the door. Link's face paled and he looked to Shadow. The look of uncertainty was clear in his eyes.

But before Shadow could even recommend of the things that he could do, Link was at the door and opening it wide, making it clear he didn't care if Malon knew about his shadow staying with him. Shadow gaped at his actions, Malon mimicking the very same face of surprise when her blue eyes rest on him.

"L-Link who is-"

"Thanks for the blankets," Link stated quickly and took the blankets that she had in her arms just in case. He then closed the door, pressing his back against it in order to try to keep the girl on the other side of it at bay if she tried to get in.

"This isn't good..." Link mumbled.

Shadow frowned and took a seat on the bed, kicking the boots off of his feet. "I thought I was supposed to stay a secret."

"You were...I don't know what came over me. Stay here...I need to go talk to her. She's like this with Zelda," Link said, crossing his fingers to make his point clear that the two women were friends.

The shadow was left in the room, confused as to what was going on. Link had almost kissed him this morning but then had told him he had to stay a secret. Then he had just as clear as day let him be seen by the ranch girl.

Just what was he to Link?

What Shadow thought to be a few minutes turned out to be about an hour. Link hadn't returned yet and Shadow wasn't sure what he should do. It wasn't like he was able to get up and go looking for the other. He was a wanted person at the moment and he couldn't walk around in the open. Someone was bound to tell the princess of his existence. Then where would he be? Back in another dungeon wishing that he was dead.

A soft sigh passed through his lips and he pulled himself up from the bed, staring out the small window on the other side of the room. The ranch was quiet, no people walking about like he thought there would be. But then again it was a small ranch so there weren't many people about. From what he remembered there were only three people at his ranch.

Malon was tending to the chickens, throwing handfuls of feed to the animals with a small smile on his face. And off in the paddock Link brushed Epona, his tunic off and draped over one of the jumping fences for the horses.

A light blush crossed Shadow's cheeks. Why was he watching him? He didn't understand it that well. Was he attracted to him sexually? He had been hoping earlier that day that he would be kissed fully on the mouth. But that was just in the moment...right?

Sneaking out of the small house was easy. There was no one in there and Malon had her back turned to him when he snuck himself outside since she was still feeding her animals while humming a gentle song that he swore he had heard before somewhere. It was getting to the paddock without Link seeing him that was the hard part. He didn't want him to know that he was staring at him.

Closer up he could see the sweat on his muscled chest, glistening in the sunlight that was left in the sky of the day. His horse Epona was there with him, how she had gotten there he wasn't too sure, and she made a soft noise of discomfort as her eyes laid on Shadow. He still had evil within him. Of course animals like her could pick up on something like him. She would be rearing if he was something closer to Ganondorf. Her tail flicked up and down lightly and her front hooves clocked into the dirt before her. She didn't seem all that happy to see Shadow at all.

"What is it girl?" Link asked gently, a naked hand stroking her snout. She nickered lightly and closed her eyes, ignoring Shadow for the time being.

Link certainly had a way with animals didn't he? Or was it just his horse?

Blue eyes finally came to land on him and Shadow jumped a bit as he realized he had been caught staring at him. How was he supposed to hide the fact that he had been staring at him in this state of undress?

"I-I-I-" he stumbled over his words, his legs hinting to him that he should just run back to the room before he did anything embarrassing. Link only smiled a bit and stepped held his hand out for his shadow.

"You can pet her. She's just a bit tense." he said to him. He wasn't even going to mention that he had been watching?

Shadow hesitantly moved forward, laying his hand in Link's. Link took the slightly smaller hand and brought it to Epona's snout, guiding his hand up and down gently on the fur. "Just like that. Nice and soft. She won't forgive you if you hurt her." Link explained.

Shadow nodded his head and continued to gently run his hand over her snout. His hair seemed to flash a light silver again, this time staying the color. Just showing his own gentle side was taking the evil right out of his body.

Link pulled his hand away from Shadow's. Shadow knew that he was watching him. It was kind of nice. Though he wouldn't know of the way he looked when he stood there with the horse, his hair shining silver and the sun peering behind him.


End file.
